This activity was presented at the Science on Stage Festival 2022 and represented Switzerland.
Sweet understanding: learn about the science of honeybees and their sugary product through a series of hands-on activities.
In a series of experiments, students learn about bees, try a biological method for distinguishing real honey from artificial honey, and investigate different biological and biochemical aspects of honey. An article on the chemical aspects will follow in a later issue.
The activities are suitable for secondary school students aged 14 and older. They are related, so, ideally, they should all be done as part of a larger project on bees and honey, but the activities can also be carried out individually.
Thomas Scheuber is a biology teacher at the Gymnasium Kirschgarten in Basel, Switzerland. He represented Switzerland at the Science on Stage festival in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2022, with his experiments using honey, and he recently completed further training as a beekeeper.
Authors: Thomas Scheuber
Source: Science in School, Issue 62 - April 2023
The Life Science Symposium is aimed at secondary school teachers. Its objective is to enrich biology lessons with tried and tested modern experiments, working techniques and up-to-date specialist knowledge.
Image: Thomas Scheuber, Science on Stage SwitzerlandLearn about a variety of biochemical aspects of honey through a series of simple experiments using the sugary product of bees.